Dyeing of skeins



Sept. 29, 1936. F. s. WILCOX 2,055,957

DYEING OF SKEINS Filed May 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3rwentor 20- F. 5'. WL'Zaox Sept. 29, 1936. F. s. wu cox DYEING OF SKEINS Filed May 20, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bmaentor mzm attornegs.

Patented Sept. 29, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEE 4 Claims.

The present invention relatesflto the dyeing of skeins so that certain portions of;,-the yarn which is wound in the form of skeins may be dyed at spaced intervals, or may be dyed various colors at consecutive or other portions of the yarn.

This method of dyeing is known to the trade as block dyeing and has heretofore been eflected by clamping blocks at stated intervals on a collapsed skein but at the bends of the collapsed skein the yarn or threads are of different lengths and consequently there results irregularity in the dyed portions. I

To overcome this obstacle in the old method and means of skein dyeing, the present invention has for an object to provide a device for supporting a skein of yarn in such manner that the skein is evenly divided between the blocked oil? portions and thesupport for the skein thus holds portions of even lengths exposed for contact with the dye.

Thus, the main object of the present invention is to secure more even dyeing of the skeins in so far as the length of the dyed places is concerned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a circular reel on which the formed skeins may be placed and which are of sufiiciently less diameter than that of the skeins and provided with coin-distantly spaced supports at the periphery of thereel so that the excess length of the skeins may be looped to the desired extent between the supports and thus exposed-to the dye.

Another object of the invention is to provide blocks in the form of clamps which serve the double purpose of holding the skein to the reel at the supports and at the same time to cover against the action or the dye the portions of the skein which bear on the supports.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be more fully, described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dyeing reel, showing the looping means for the exposed portions of the skeins on the reel.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section substantially.

taken through one endof the reel on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end elevation of the reel having a skein' initially applied thereto.

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken through the reel showing the same immersed in the dyeing vat, and showing the dye spray over the-vat.

Figure 6 is an end elevation of a slightly modified form of reel wherein separate dye chambers are provided between the reel supports.-

Flgure '7 is a. transverse section taken thmugh the same substantially on the line 'l-l of Figure 8, and

Figure 8 is a side elevation, partly in section of a dyeing reel embodying the modification of the invention.

Reierring now to the drawings, and first to Figures 1 to 5, one possible form of the present invention is shown and wherein the reel is provided with a supporting shaft l5 on which are fixed spaced end head's I6 which may be hanged or otherwise suitably constructed to carrya plurality of equi-distantly spaced apart supports ii in the form of slats.

The slats extend between the heads 55 and are secured to the peripheral flanges of the heads by rivets it or the like, and these slats ll are of suitable width to support at spaced intervals throughout their lengths the portions of the skeins which are not to be dyed. Rubber or other compressible strips is are provided which correspond in width substantially to that of the slats H, are disposed against the outer faces of the slats and are adapted to be fitted over the portions of the skeins which rest on the supports or slats H, as clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5, and blocks or clamps 20, also in the form of slats or strips, are disposed against the outer faces of the compressible strips lll so as to bind the that the skein may be looped between the supports I! of the reel.

Any desired number of skeins 22 may be placed in spaced apart relation over the reel, as shown in Figure 1. When the skeins are freely looped over the reel, as shown in Figure 4, one of the blocks or clamping strips 20 may be secured in place, together with its compressible strip l 9. over one of the uppermost supports I! so as to firmly,

clamp the upper portions of the skeins across the support 11. The skein is now looped between said support I! and an adjacent support, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, by means of a depressor23 in the form of. a bar which is hingedly mounted by a pin 24 at one'end to a. bracket 25. The bracket is provided with a clamping bolt 26 with a wing nut or the like for cooperation with a supporting arm 21 for a vertical slot 28 therein.

The bracket 25 may be raised and lowered'to accommodate the depth of loop desired between the supports of the reel and the depressor bar .between each adjacent two supports, and thelooping is proportioned to the length of the skein I 22 so as to take up all of the excess length of the skein as it is applied to the reel.

As shown in Figure 5, the reel with the skeins mounted and blocked thereon may be immersed in the vat or tank 29 of any suitable construction or size, and a spray pipe 30 is disposed over the vat in preferably the plane of the shaft l of the reel so that the sprays from the pipe 30 may be directed to the loops at opposite sides of the topmost support. The reel may be intermittently turned or continuously rotated so as to bring the exposed looped portions of the skeins into contact with the dye solution sprayed from. thepipe 30.

It is apparent that the portions of the skeins which extend across the supports I! are completely blocked oil or shielded from the dye by the compressible or rubber strips l9 under the clamping action of the blocks or clamps 20. Thus, if desired the skeins may be readjusted upon the reel so as to expose the initially blocked off portions of the skeins to a dye of a different color, or the like, and the supports IT with their adjacent parts may be of any desired width so as to block on portions of the skeins which are of the desired width. K

In the modification shown in Figures 6;? and 8, the reel is provided with enclosing cylindrical sections 3| which are in the form or segments adapted to extend between the supports and preferably abut at their opposite longitudinal edges directly over the blocks 20 and are suitably recessed or rabbeted to tightly fit the supports and thus seal the cylindrical sections 3| against each other and the supports. 4

These cylindrical sections when assembled provide separate and independent dye compartments 32 in which the skein loops are disposed. These separate compartments 32 may receive dye solutions of difierent colors or all of the same colors, and in Figures 6 and 8 there is shown a dye solution circulating pump 33 having pipes 34 and 35 leading into and from the bottom and which are connected to the opposite ends of a compartment 32. The reel may be provided with heads 36 which are flanged or otherwise suitably constructed to engage over the opposite end portions of the cylinder sections 3| to hold them on the reel and to also provide means of connection for the pipes 34 and 35. The heads 36 may have couplings 31 disposed in line with the respective compartments 32 so that a .dye solution may be circulated by the pump 33 through the compartment 32. Of course these pipes 34 and 35 may be connected to one or more of the compartments 32, or the pipes may be consecutively connected to the various loop compartments 32 or separate and independent dye circulating systems may be.

connected to the separate compartments 32 for circulating dyes of different colors simultaneously through the difi'erent compartments.

It is apparent that various combinations and arrangements of dyeing the skeins may be had by use of this device.

closing the compartments 32 so that individual dyeing of the loops between any two oi the supports l'l' may be effected.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A skein dyeing device comprising a reel having spaced heads, spaced apart slats secured across the heads and adapted to support thereon a plurality of skeins, a depressor for operation between the slats to loop the skeins inwardly between the slats, compressible strips carried by the slats and extending over the supported portions of the skeins to seal the same upon the slats, and combined clamping and blocking strips mounted over said compressible strips and connected to said slats for binding the compressible strip against the supported portions of the skeins.

2. A skein dyeing device comprising a reel having a plurality of spaced apart slats adapted to support a plurality of skeins of greater diameter than that of the reel, a depressor, means for adjustably supporting the depressor relatively to the reel and said depressor adapted to be advanced between the said slats of the reel for looping the exposed portions of the skeins inwardly between the support and take up the excess length of the skeins on the reel, and combined blocking and clamping means carried by the supports for engagement over the supported portions of the skeins to shield said portions against dyeing and to hold the skeins on the reel.

3. A skein dyeing device comprising a reel having spaced apart radial supports and intervening dye chambers between the supports, a clamping and blocking means carried by each of the supports for holding skeins of yarn across the supports with exposed portions in said chambers and with shielded portions on the supports, removable cylindrical sections mounted across said clamping and blocking means for independently sealing said chambers, and means for circulating a dye independently through each chamber.

4. A skein dyeing device, comprising a reel having peripheral depressions with intermediate supports over which skeins may be mounted with the said depressions, covering clamps carried by the supports for binding the skein thereto and block- FRANK S. VVILCOX.

skein portions between the supports looped into 

